1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a screen generating method, an image forming apparatus, and a computer program product.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, as an image input/output apparatus that computerizes a paper document into image data by scanning the paper document and outputs the image data, even a single-function device such as a scanner has a function of transmitting image data obtained by scanning (hereinafter, “scan data”) to an external device such as a personal computer (PC) and a printer for use therein via a network as well as a multi-function peripheral (MFP) having multifunction that includes a copier as a base.
The system utilizing the scan data via the network shares a scanner by external devices, so that a method is employed in which the scan data is managed by a managing server for enhancing efficiency of the system.
The managing server is generally installed independently on the network. However, for example, when an image is scanned to be utilized in a device itself for outputting such as the MFP, a managing server function is provided in the MFP as one function, which enables the MFP to also receive access from the external devices.
The managing server or the managing server function (hereinafter, “managing server”) has a function as a distribution managing server that stores and manages the scan data at the time of a scanning request and distributes the scan data at the time of the scanning request or thereafter in response to a request from the external device for reuse of the data.
Conventional scan data distribution managing systems having the distribution managing server function are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-032425, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-171199, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-208934.
A distribution system for scan image data in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-032425 relates to a system for managing distribution of digital image data obtained by a scanner by a remote server. FIG. 45 is schematic diagram of the distribution system. The remote server has a function of managing charging for the use of the system. As shown in FIG. 45, an original is scanned by a scanner connected to a network to obtain image data, and the image data is transferred to the remote server via the network to be stored and managed therein. In response to a request for downloading from a PC via the network, the remote server distributes digital image data under management to the PC in accordance with the instruction.
A document management system in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-171199 introduces an automatic distributing function for simplifying a user operation at the time of storing scan input documents into a specified folder and properly managing the documents. FIG. 46 is a schematic diagram of the document management system. As shown in FIG. 46, at the time of using the automatic distributing function, a user selects a distribution destination automatically selecting folder as a distribution destination and operates a scanner to input an original document. The document image file that is input is temporarily stored in the distribution destination automatically selecting folder via a distribution processing unit. The stored image is provided with distribution destination folder information as text data on a specific area of the document. An optical character recognition (OCR) processing unit recognizes the information and resends the image data file to the distribution processing unit to redistribute it to a distribution destination folder.
A document distribution processing device in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-208934 relates to a device that, at the time of reading and distributing a document, makes it easy to automatically execute necessary image processes. FIG. 47 is a schematic diagram of the document distribution processing device. As shown in FIG. 47, an OCR form sheet is positioned at the front page of a document. Code data corresponding to an image processing menu written on the OCR form sheet and image processing position data specifying an image processing area are recognized and extracted from document data obtained by scanning the document with a scanner. The image process that matches the extracted code data is executed in the area specified by the image processing position data. Then, the document data on which the specified image process is executed is distributed to a distribution destination corresponding to the code data.
In the conventional managing function of a document that is scanned and input such as the above described conventional technologies, when a document to be stored and managed in a server or a database is scanned and input, managing information such as a file name is normally added to the input document on a system side in accordance with a predetermined rule and the document is temporarily stored and managed in the server or the database. In other words, no information is added to the document to be managed for a user to associate the document with the distribution at the time of scanning.
Therefore, when the user distributes a document under management of the server or the database, the user opens a folder in the server or the like and inputs distribution associated information used at the time of distribution to add it to the document, thereby setting metadata to the data file again. The metadata represents various pieces of information for identifying a data file generated from the document such as a name of the data file, an attribute of the data file, and a presence/absence of a setting of authority such as reference and writing in addition to the distribution associated information (e.g., a company name of a transmission destination) that is used at the time of distributing the document. It is complicated to repeat setting such metadata on the managing server every time a scanned document is distributed. Particularly, when distributing a document to a plurality of distribution destinations, a workload on a user is increased. Thus, the conventional managing function is not convenient enough for a user.